Noticed
by Liz4
Summary: "A week long conference with a co-worker who hates me? FML." E/B Lemony Goodness on the way. AU/All Human. Canon Couples.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Noticed

**By**: Liz

**Chapter**: 1

**Rating**: M

**Author's Notes**: It's been awhile, I know, so I hope I'm not too terribly out of practice and don't make a mess of things. I've actually been working on this story since the blizzards hit the DC area in February and trapped me in my apartment for a week. There are four other fics that have been in progress since I was finishing up "Afraid to Fall" last December – life just got really busy and distracting in that annoying way that it has. They are all in various stages and hopefully at least some of them will be on their way shortly. This originally started out as a one shot but it got so long, I decided to put it up in two or so chapters so no one would fall asleep while reading it!

**Special Notes**: For my sister, Blue-Winter-Angel. For putting me up (and putting up with me!) when I came to Australia, for giving me so much amazingly inspiring music, and for reminding me that if I just let the characters do their thing, the story will write itself.

**Disclaimers**: I own the plot and a minor character here and there – I'm sure you'll be able to tell which ones. All major characters are not mine. Pearl is real and she is.

* * *

This was not happening.

But as Bella Swan sat in her boss's office on a Friday afternoon in early April, a voice inside her head unhappily reminded her that this _was_ in fact happening and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

She and one half of the head of Layla's Fund, Esme Cullen, were supposed to be flying out to Chicago on Sunday for a week long conference on children, families, education, and violence. As she had only been with the organization for a few months, this would be her first conference. She hadn't really been looking forward to the conference in the first place but figured that at least with Esme there, she might have some fun. Unfortunately, Esme had just informed her that she was no longer going to be able to join Bella in Chicago. Instead, Bella was now going to be accompanied by her co-worker, Edward Masen.

Edward Masen. Edward _fucking_ Masen.

To say that Bella was upset would be putting it mildly.

Edward was gorgeous, smart, funny, talented and generally a nice guy. Well, he was a nice guy unless you were Bella. When you were Bella, Edward tended to either give you looks of disdain or flat out ignore you. If he was feeling particularly verbose, he might make a snide comment or two.

The thing that really irked Bella about Edward's attitude toward her was that she truly had no idea what had caused it in the first place. The first few weeks that she had been with the organization, the two had barely had any contact. And when they had, though Edward had been oddly stiff and formal with her, he hadn't ever been rude.

Bella didn't particularly mind his formality. In the beginning, she had found herself so incredibly tongue tied and intimidated around Edward, she could barely string a sentence together. She knew from listening to her co-workers that Edward had been with Layla's Fund for almost three years and that he was very close to and respected by the heads of the Foundation, Esme and Carlisle Cullen. He was incredibly well read and spoke with quiet confidence on a number of the subjects the organization tackled and Bella was constantly afraid of opening her mouth and risking making a fool of herself.

And though she hated to admit it even to herself, she knew Edward's ridiculously good looks had also played a part in her awkwardness. Tall and leanly muscled with piercing green eyes and perpetually messy hair the most interesting shade of copper Bella had ever seen, Edward was the stuff fantasies were made of. And it wasn't just the sight of him that affected her, either. Her stomach did funny things when she heard his voice and when he laughed – though never while in her company, to her dismay – just the sound could cause a blush to rise to her cheeks.

They had started interacting more when Esme had put the two of them on a project together and Edward's attitude had begun to change little by little. His stiffness had seemed to ease slightly and they had even moved on to conversations that weren't monosyllabic. As a result, Bella found herself becoming more comfortable with him as well, finding herself capable of intelligent conversation when they were discussing work and her specific areas of expertise.

And then one Monday, she had come in to work and Edward had been aloof. And as time passed, his attitude progressed from distant to cold and almost unpleasant when it came to Bella. She had tried numerous times to figure out what had happened to change things between them, but she always came up blank. The oddest thing was that in the days leading up to Edward's sudden 180, she had been sure they were really starting to get along.

"I'm sorry for the short notice, Bella, but you'll have a great time with Edward," Esme assured her. "He's been to several of these conferences already so he'll be able to show you around and introduce you to everyone. Don't worry, it'll be fine."

Esme smiled gently at the expression on Bella's face. "And you never know, Bella. You might end up making a new friend. Just give him a chance."

* * *

"Give him a chance. Can you believe that? I'm not the one who's always talking down to him or making disparaging comments or looking like I just want to kill him." Bella sighed, taking a long drink from her bottle of Stella before she continued. "And now I have to spend an entire week with him. Not to mention the five hour flights to and from Chicago. Fuck my life," she groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

Bella was sitting in a booth at her favorite bar with her best friends, Rose and Emmett, recounting the conversation she had had with Esme earlier that day.

Rose looked a bit skeptical. "Don't you think you're being a tad melodramatic, Bella? I mean, it can't really be as bad as all that."

Bella shot Rose a look. "It's worse," she said sourly. "Half the time, he ignores me. The other half, he treats me like something he's found on the bottom of his shoe."

Generally, she had kept her issues with Edward to herself, only complaining to Emmett and Rose when he did something to push her over the edge. She had never gone into this much detail before so it wasn't terribly surprising that Rose thought she was being dramatic. But then, she had never before been faced with the prospect of almost an entire week with him, either.

An entire week with someone who seemed to dislike her for absolutely no reason. She fought the urge to groan again. What cosmic force had she pissed off to deserve this?

Being around Edward was always an uncomfortable experience for Bella. Sometimes he would give her looks or make comments that seemed to imply she wasn't fit for her job. Other times, she would catch him looking at her with an expression on his face that she couldn't identify. In these instances, he would always look quickly away, leaving Bella feeling self-conscious and out of sorts. And now she had a whole week of awkward, uncomfortable interaction to look forward to. Sighing to herself, she returned her attention to her friends.

"The thing that really bugs me is that he's perfectly nice to every single other person he comes into contact with," she continued. "It doesn't matter if it's a co-worker, a donor, even someone trying to sell something. He's a perfect, charming gentleman except when it comes to me. He doesn't even call me by my name," she added. "In the beginning it was Miss Swan; now he doesn't even bother with the 'Miss' part."

"Your bosses let him get away with acting like such a douchebag?" Emmett was incredulous.

"He's only a douchebag to me, Em," Bella said with a sigh.

Rose smirked. "Maybe he likes you."

Bella just gave Rose a look. She knew her dating experience could be considered limited, but she was pretty sure she could tell the difference between flirtation and insults.

Emmett looked doubtful. "I don't know, Rosie. He might just be a dick. I could beat him up if you want, Bellsy."

Rose nudged Emmett none too gently. "Not helping," she told him. "Besides, you wouldn't believe some of the stupid shit Emmett did to get my attention."

"I was never mean to you," Emmett protested.

"Well, no, because then she would have kicked your ass," Bella said with a grin.

Whatever Emmett was going to say in his defense was cut off by an enthusiastic shriek. "Bella!"

Bella looked up to see Alice Cullen and her fiancé Jasper Whitlock just entering the bar.

Petite, exuberant Alice was the only child of the heads of Layla's Fund, Esme and Carlisle. She had a job with an interior design studio in Seattle but spent a lot of her free time volunteering for her parents' organization and Bella had met her soon after she had begun to work for the foundation in October of the previous year. The small girl was friendly and smart with a wicked sense of humor and Bella enjoyed the occasional lunch or drink with her.

Alice was engaged to Jasper, a southern transplant from Texas who was currently studying for his Masters in Psychology at the University of Washington. Bella had only met him a few times but she always enjoyed the calm and warmth that seemed to surround Jasper and she found that with his laid back personality, Jasper was the perfect complement to Alice's at times frenetic energy.

Bella would have liked to spend more time hanging out with the couple but she knew Alice was very close to Edward. In fact, when she had first met Alice, the pixie had spent so much time talking to and about Edward that Bella had thought the engagement ring on Alice's finger had come from him. That misconception had of course been cleared up instantly the first time Bella saw Alice and Jasper together and she realized that Alice and Edward in fact treated each other more like family than romantic partners.

Alice and Jasper reached their booth and Bella made introductions all around after inviting the couple to join them. Alice plopped into the seat next to Bella while Jasper politely asked if he could get anyone anything to drink.

After Jasper had gotten everyone's drink orders and headed to the bar, Alice turned back to the group. "So what are we talking about?" she asked with an infectious grin.

"Nothing much," Bella said, trying to steer the conversation from its previous subject.

"We were just talking about how Bellsy has to go to a conference next week with some tool from her office named Edward who's always giving her a hard time," Emmett volunteered.

"Emmett," Bella growled. "Edward is a friend of Alice's."

"Whoops," Emmett muttered. "Uh, sorry about that."

But Alice only laughed. "Don't worry, I won't tell," she promised. She then turned her full focus on Bella. "You and Edward are heading to the conference? So my mom's not going then?" she questioned innocently. _Too_ innocently, Bella thought suspiciously, but she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

"Yes," she said flatly. "To both of those questions."

Alice smiled. "Don't worry, Bella. Edward's a really great guy. He's just been through some shit."

"Haven't we all?" Bella grumbled.

Alice smiled again. "This trip will give you two a chance to get to know each other. Trust me, you're going to have a good time."

* * *

A good time? Was Alice crazy? Bella sighed, resting her head against the window of the shuttle that was taking Edward and her from the airport to the hotel where the conference was being held.

Their flight had been a little awkward but fortunately nowhere near as painful as Bella had feared. She had been running so late that morning that by the time she had reached her gate, the passengers were already lined up to board the plane and she didn't see Edward anywhere. She'd kept her fingers tightly crossed the whole way down the walkway but found to her dismay that she was seated in between Edward and an overly chatty older woman. In order to avoid awkward conversation (or lack thereof in the case of Edward) with either seat partner, Bella had pretended to be asleep. Eventually, she'd faked it so well that she actually **had** fallen asleep, only waking up when they were preparing to land at O'Hare.

She and Edward had silently exited the plane, collected their luggage, and boarded their hotel's little transport bus. Bella had tried to think of something to say to break the awkward silence but the closed expression on Edward's face had thwarted every conversational possibility that came to her mind and eventually she had just put her headphones back on and turned her iPod up.

Bella was brought back to the present when their shuttle came to a stop in front of the hotel where they were staying. Without a word, Edward picked up his suitcase and laptop bag and stepped off the bus. Flushing in annoyance, Bella quickly gathered her things and followed Edward off the bus and into the hotel.

Edward was already at the front desk when Bella entered the lobby and she hurried to join him, anxious to get her room key and get away from him for awhile.

The desk clerk tapped a few keys on her keyboard and smiled as the reservation screen came up. "Yes, I have the reservation right here," she chirped. "One room, two queen beds, for the week."

Edward looked absolutely horrified. "One room?" he repeated in a strangled voice.

Bella could feel her cheeks burning a deep red from a combination of the thought of sharing a room with Edward and the clear disgust on his face and she forced herself to speak. "Are you sure?" she asked the clerk. "Is there maybe another reservation under Swan?"

"Or Masen?" Edward added hopefully.

The clerk pressed a few keys, shaking her head slowly. "No, I don't have anything under those names. The only thing I have for your organization is the reservation for one double queen room."

"Well, can you give one of us another room?" Edward asked.

The clerk frowned. "Sorry, but we're full up for the week," she said. "There are two other conferences in town this week and we have a large wedding party coming in on Thursday."

"Do you know if there's anywhere else nearby that might have room?" Bella asked, trying and failing to keep the stress out of her voice.

"Sorry," the clerk said again, giving Bella a sympathetic look. "Like I said, there are two other conferences this week. We're already handling the overflow for both of those."

Edward sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair. "I guess it will have to do," he muttered. Without looking at Bella, he signed the form the clerk held out and took one of the keys on the counter. With a nod to the clerk, he headed over to the elevators.

The clerk could see just how upset Bella was as she handed the brunette her room key. "If anything opens up, I'll let you know first, okay hon?" she said kindly.

Bella's forced smile was fleeting. "Thanks," she murmured, walking to the elevators to join Edward.

The tension in the elevator was so thick, it was practically a physical presence between the two and they both kept their gazes straight ahead, careful not to meet the other's eyes in the elevator's mirrored door. Bella was so focused on ignoring Edward that when the elevator dinged and opened on the fourth floor, she almost jumped out of her skin. Edward hurried out of the elevator and Bella followed a few feet behind him to their room.

When they entered the room, Edward threw his bags on the bed closest to the door so Bella crossed the room to the bed near the window and set down her things. There was a meet and greet scheduled for that evening so after taking turns in the bathroom to get cleaned up, they headed back down to the lobby, silently making their way to the ballroom.

There were a number of people already there when they arrived and several people turned to greet Edward as he passed them. He quickly said his hellos and gave Bella a brief introduction before disappearing across the room to the bar, leaving Bella with a very pleasant woman named Angela Weber who worked for an organization in Portland, Oregon. In typical Edward fashion, when speaking to Angela, he had been charming and sweet and had smiled at her while Bella herself had barely been spared a glance.

Angela smiled at Bella. "He's such a nice guy," she said of Edward. "Aside from my fiancé Ben, he seems like one of the last good guys left out there." Bella couldn't stop a snort from escaping and Angela looked at her curiously. "Of course, you would probably know better since you work with him on a daily basis."

Bella shrugged. "No, he seems to be nice to everyone else. It's just me he doesn't like. I honestly don't know what I did to offend him but he's been a jerk to me almost since the first day I started working there."

"Maybe you just got off on the wrong foot?" Angela suggested.

Bella doubted it but kept her opinion to herself, quickly changing to subject as she asked about the other organizations that were represented at the conference.

They had been talking for a few minutes when a tall, brunette woman approached them. Angela said hello and introduced Bella to Maureen from a family advocacy organization in Ohio. The other woman was casually polite at first but her eyes positively lit up when she heard where Bella worked.

"Layla's Fund? So you work with Edward Masen then?" Bella nodded warily. "Is he here this year?"

Bella nodded again. Something about this woman grated on her nerves and she forced a smile. "Hopefully, between Edward and Angela, I'll make it through my first conference unscathed," she said pleasantly.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Maureen said snidely. "Edward should definitely be able to show you the ropes. He just loves this conference. Gets to add a few notches to his belt every year."

Fighting to keep her expression neutral, Bella stole a quick glance at Angela who rolled her eyes and shook her head subtly. Maureen stared at Edward as he stood at the bar talking to two other men and Bella was a little disconcerted by the predatory gleam in the other woman's eye. "He is fucking gorgeous," she muttered to herself as she took another large gulp of her drink. "Damn shame he knows it and uses it to get what he wants."

Bella was relieved when Maureen finally excused herself and she let out a quiet sigh before turning to see Angela smiling sympathetically at her. "She's a little, um, difficult sometimes," Angela said diplomatically. "But I wouldn't listen to a word she says if I were you. Especially when it comes to Edward."

Bella rolled her eyes, wondering silently if she needed to prepare herself for a week of similar catty comments. "Don't worry," Angela said, seeming to read Bella's mind. "She's the exception rather than the rule. Everyone else here tends to love Edward and they really respect the work he's done. Maureen just holds a grudge because of her own stupidity."

Bella looked at Angela curiously and the other woman grimaced slightly before continuing. "She was off her face drunk at last year's conference and she threw herself at him," Angela told her quietly. "He very politely declined and got someone to take her back to her room to sleep it off. I don't think she took it very well."

Thankfully, this line of conversation was abruptly cut off as another woman approached them then and Angela introduced Bella to her friend and co-worker, Jessica Stanley. Small and energetic, Jessica reminded Bella somewhat of Alice and her bubbly personality and constant stream of chatter was a stark contrast to her tall, much quieter friend. The three women spent the rest of the evening getting acquainted and Bella found herself relaxing despite the day's earlier events as they headed to the hotel's restaurant for dinner.

After dinner, the three of them took the elevator back to their rooms, Jessica and Angela getting off on the third floor while Bella continued on to the fourth and her room. Edward was just coming out of the bathroom when Bella entered the room and he nodded shortly at her in greeting. Rolling her eyes to herself, Bella picked up her bag and headed into the bathroom to change and get ready for bed.

She quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth before changing into the shorts and t-shirt she wore to bed. She glanced in the mirror before exiting the room, stopping short at the sight that met her eyes.

Edward probably hadn't expected her to be so quick in the bathroom.

He was naked to the waist and she couldn't help admiring the way the muscles in his back moved as he picked up his t-shirt from the bed and pulled it over his head. He turned around suddenly and caught Bella staring at him. His hair was messier than usual thanks to his quick change and the look in his eyes was almost vulnerable for a moment before his gaze quickly turned cool once more.

"I know that for some people, a conference means partying every night in someone's room," Edward began as he turned to his bed and began pulling the covers back. "However, I would prefer we keep the atmosphere professional, Swan. We each respect that this room belongs to both of us, which means I would appreciate it if you did not feel the need to bring anyone back to the room with you."

Bella's face flushed as she realized what Edward was saying and she pressed her mouth into a thin line. "If you think you can manage it," she said icily. "**I** have no problem with that."

Edward nodded shortly. "Good. I suggest you get some sleep, then. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." Without waiting for a response, Edward climbed into his bed, shutting off his half of the bedside light before he pulled the covers up around him and closed his eyes.

Bella stared at him a moment, silently calming herself down. Did he always have to be such a jerk? Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, she made her way over to her own bed, turning off her side of the light and slipping underneath the covers. She lay on her back for a few moments, staring up at the ceiling as her eyes adjusted to the dark. Eventually feeling calm enough to attempt sleep, she rolled over to face the wall, pulling the covers tightly around her as one thought ran through her head. How the hell was she going to survive a week of this?

* * *

Bella had deliberately set the alarm on her phone much earlier than she needed to and it was barely light outside when she woke up the next morning. With a quick glance over at Edward's bed to make sure he was still asleep, she grabbed her bag and headed into the bathroom. She turned the water on and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wake her up as she mentally began to run through the upcoming events of the day.

She was going to be presenting late that afternoon and though she knew her topic inside and out, she was starting to get a little anxious as she thought about it. After all, it was her first presentation at her first conference. What if she screwed it up?

No, she told herself firmly as she climbed out of the shower and began to dry off. This project is your baby, you are _not_ going to mess it up. Nodding resolutely to herself, she dressed and dried her hair before quickly applying her makeup and opening the door to the bathroom.

Edward was standing by his bed, pulling clothing from his suitcase, and for a moment Bella was struck by a powerful urge to speak to him about her concerns. As if he could hear her thoughts, Edward turned around and faced her as he began walking to the bathroom. However, he barely glanced at Bella as he passed her and she pressed her lips together, annoyed at her temporary moment of weakness. Yes, butterflies were already starting to swarm in her stomach at the thought of her presentation but there was no way in hell she was going to let Edward know she was nervous.

She made her way over to her own bed and picked up her briefcase from the floor next to it, pulling out a sheaf of papers before sitting down carefully on the edge of her bed. As she read through her notes, she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she looked over the facts and figures and anecdotes she had collected. This program had been entirely her idea and she was extremely proud of it and the results it had already begun to show.

The program, Layla's Pals, was a therapy group for both children and homeless dogs at a local shelter. Bella had read about similar programs in the past and after some extensive research, she had come up with her own version. Children who were considered 'at risk,' those who had suffered loss or abuse in their lives or had special needs based on their family situations, were brought to the local animal shelter and allowed to interact with the dogs there. The theory behind this was that this interaction facilitated the development of empathy in the children as well as responsibility and nurturing skills. All of the research Bella had read had shown that a child who developed a high degree of empathy early on would learn to value and respect lives other than their own and as a result could be deterred from future violent or criminal activity.

The project had been inspired in part by Bella's own dog, a rescue named Pearl. Pearl was a Pointer, a breed that was valued for its hunting skills, but Pearl had apparently not made the grade for her particular human hunting partner; as a puppy, she had been found in the woods of Kentucky, beaten, starving and near death. The shelter figured that she had been left behind by her owner or breeder when he or she discovered that Pearl wouldn't hunt the way she was 'supposed to.'

Pearl's sad story and adorable face had won Bella over in a matter of minutes and she and Pearl had been together for nearly two years now. The young dog had been terrified of people when she had first come to live with Bella, but with time and a lot of patience on Bella's part, Pearl had finally come around and was now a sweet, well adjusted dog who loved trips to the dog park and car rides and who now wagged her tail when people approached instead of hiding behind Bella's legs in fear. Emmett was a particularly big fan of Pearl's and he and Rose were taking care of her while Bella was at the conference that week. Bella figured that by the time she got back, Emmett would have convinced Rose they needed to adopt a dog of their own.

Bella had been rather nervous when she had first presented the idea for the program to Esme and Carlisle at the end of November of the previous year, but her bosses had both been incredibly enthusiastic about the project and had allowed her to get to work on it right away. It was that very project, in fact, that she had been working with Edward on when his attitude toward her had undergone such a massive change.

Bella pushed that last thought out of her mind and redoubled her focus on the notes before her. As she finished reading over her documents, a sudden wave of panic gripped her. What if something was wrong with the PowerPoint slideshow that would be accompanying her presentation? She had looked over it countless times herself and had even had Rose look it over the previous Saturday, but what if there was something they had both missed? With her luck, the presentation would have glaring spelling mistakes or she'd do something like use the word 'pubic' when she meant 'public.'

She had the entire presentation saved on a flash drive but she had decided not to bring her ancient laptop with her to the conference. At the time, she had thought it wouldn't be worth it to lug her temperamental machine with her but she now found herself regretting the decision. As she glanced around the room, however, her eyes fell on Edward's laptop bag and her spirits brightened considerably. While Edward probably wouldn't be thrilled by Bella using his computer, they were co-workers and as a co-worker, Edward should want her presentation to be perfect, she decided as she picked up his case and carried it over to the desk in the corner of the room.

Setting the laptop on the desk, she turned it on, slipping her shoes on while she waited for the machine to start up. The "Windows" screen had barely begun loading when Bella heard an angry voice behind her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Bella whirled around to find Edward standing just outside the bathroom staring at her. She watched in confusion as shock, horror, and disappointment played across his face, quickly replaced by a look of fury.

"I'm presenting today," she informed him, holding out her flash drive. "I wanted to make sure there are no mistakes on the power point."

Edward's anger seemed to abate slightly but his eyes were still stormy as he glared at her. "And why couldn't you use your own damn computer?"

"Because I didn't _bring_ my 'own damn computer,'" Bella replied testily.

Edward approached her and Bella quickly rose to her feet, Edward's unusually harsh tone making her a bit uneasy. "God, what is your problem?" she blurted, trying to cover her nerves. "I'm representing the organization with this presentation – I'd think you'd want to make sure I don't embarrass you."

She glanced back at the laptop's screen as the computer finished loading. "Not that I could have used it anyway," she added, gesturing to the screen asking for a Username and Password. "Hiding government secrets, Edward?" she asked with a smirk. "Or just your porn stash?"

"That is _none_ of your damn business," Edward snarled, stepping around Bella and slamming down the laptop's screen.

Bella flinched at the sudden loud noise before pulling herself up to her full height and glaring at Edward. "Fine," she snapped. "I'll use one of the computers in the lobby. So sorry to have inconvenienced you."

His mouth set in a hard line, Edward stepped aside without a word, not even turning to look at Bella as she stormed out of the room.

Bella looked up, her cheeks flushing slightly as the audience members applauded. Their reaction made her feel almost dizzy with relief – it seemed her colleagues had actually enjoyed her presentation – and she shyly glanced around the room. Somehow, her eyes almost immediately located Edward in the audience and she was stunned to see that he was smiling at her with an expression of what looked almost like pride on his face. She managed to keep her mouth from dropping open but her shock must have shown in her wide eyes because Edward suddenly looked away.

She blinked in surprise. Had Edward Masen actually just _smiled_ at her? She quickly glanced down at her feet to avoid tripping as she walked away from the podium and when she returned her gaze to Edward, she saw only the back of him as he walked out of the ballroom. She mentally shook her head as she made her way toward the exit. Surely her eyes had deceived her. It had probably been a trick of the light or something along those lines.

Several people stopped Bella to comment and congratulate her on her presentation and it was nearly half an hour later before she was finally able to leave the room. Hers had been the last presentation of the day and the cocktail hour was about to start but Bella decided to head up to her room and change into more casual clothing before going to the gathering in the hotel's bar.

Fortunately, Edward was nowhere to be seen when she entered their room and she took her time changing into casual pants and a top and reapplying her makeup before finally heading back down to the gathering.

The bar was already crowded when Bella entered and she looked around hopefully for Angela or Jessica as she made her way to the bar but couldn't pick them out of the crowd. Knowing her tendency to gulp her beer when she was nervous, Bella opted instead for a glass of red wine from the open bar. She thanked the man behind the bar as he handed her her glass and walked a few feet away from the bar as she began to scan the room once more for familiar faces.

"Bella Swan, right?" Startled, Bella turned to find a tall, attractive man addressing her. She nodded and the man stuck his hand out, grinning widely at her. "Jacob Black," he said, taking her hand in his. "It's such a _pleasure_ to meet you."

He held her hand just a moment too long and Bella felt her cheeks beginning to redden as he finally let go. Slightly uncomfortable and at a loss for anything to say, she quickly took a long drink of her wine.

"That was an incredible presentation you gave today," he continued. "Very impressive."

Bella smiled. "Thank you," she said, beginning to relax as they moved into more familiar territory.

"So Layla's Fund, right? We're practically neighbors; I can't believe I haven't met you before." Bella gave Jacob a questioning look and he smiled. "I'm with Kids First. We're just outside of Seattle. Maybe our organizations can team up someday."

The look in Jacob's eyes once again caused the color to rise in Bella's cheeks and she quickly took another sip of wine to give herself a moment to clear her head.

"So did anyone else from your organization make the trip out or did they realize you were more than capable of handling this on your own?" Jacob asked, watching her face carefully

"No, my co-worker Edward Masen is here as well." She tried to keep her voice and expression neutral but the image of Edward smiling at her after her presentation flashed in her mind and she couldn't help the small smile that quickly crossed her lips. The look on Jacob's face told her he had caught her momentary lapse and she hurriedly continued. "Um, he's been with the organization awhile," she said. "Maybe you two have worked together before?"

Jacob smiled again. "Oh yes, Edward and I have met." There was an undercurrent that implied Jacob was not telling the whole story but Bella was quickly pulled from this line of thinking as Jacob began asking her about herself and her work with the Fund.

The two easily fell into conversation and Bella felt herself relax even more as the evening wore on. She found Jacob very easy to talk to; he was charming and funny and actually seemed interested in her and what she had to say.

Of course, the ease with which Bella carried on her half of the conversation could also have had to do with the number of glasses of wine she had had. Every time Bella finished a glass of wine, another one seemed to appear almost magically in Jacob's hand. Bella knew she was past her limit and should probably slow down but she was enjoying herself and she brushed the thought off as she laughed at a story Jacob was telling her.

A few minutes later, Jacob returned to the bar for another glass of wine – at this point, Bella had lost track of what number she was on – and as she glanced around the bar and saw Jessica across the room. Jessica caught her eye and waved. Bella waved back but averted her eyes when she recognized a very familiar head of bronze hair in the small group of people Jessica was talking to.

When she turned back to Jacob, she saw that he had returned from the bar and was suddenly standing much closer to her than he had been just a few moments earlier. Uncomfortably close, Bella decided as she tried to get her brain to function through the alcohol clouding her brain.

She took the glass of wine from him with a smile and took a small sip as she tried to figure out how she could politely excuse herself and get back up to her room for some dinner from room service and about a gallon of water before bed. Before she could decide on a course of action, however, someone suddenly appeared at her side.

"Hello, Edward," Jacob said with a smirk. Bella started at her co-worker's sudden appearance. What on earth was he doing there? "Your lovely co-worker and I were just getting to know each other better."

Bella could have sworn she saw something flash in Edward's eyes but it was gone before she could be sure. "Black." Edward nodded curtly in his direction before turning to Bella. "Bella, there's someone here Esme wanted me to make sure you met. Would you excuse us?" he said, taking Bella by the arm and leading her away from Jacob.

Bella was so surprised by the use of her first name that she allowed Edward to lead her a few feet from Jacob before she began to protest. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded as Edward deftly plucked the empty glass from Bella's hand and set it down on the tray of a passing waiter.

"Getting you out of a bad situation," he said grimly as he led her from the bar and to the elevators.

Once the elevator doors closed behind them, Bella jerked her arm out of Edward's grasp. "What the hell is wrong with you? In case you've forgotten, one of the reasons Esme sent me to this thing is so that I can meet the other people in our field in case we need to work with any of them in the future."

"Well you can rest assured that Esme and Carlisle would not want us or anyone else at the Fund working with Jacob Black, so don't worry about it."

"Really? And just why is that?" Bella asked, glaring at Edward now.

"Trust me," Edward said. "He's not a good person."

"And you know this from personal experience?" Bella snapped.

A strange expression crossed Edward's face. "I do," he replied quietly. The elevator doors opened on their floor and he once again took her arm, more gently this time, and led her to their room.

Once inside the room, Bella pulled her pajamas from her bag and headed into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. When she returned to the room, she made her way over to her bed, managing to stumble only twice as she crossed the room. Her covers had already been pulled back and she gratefully dropped onto her bed.

When she had gotten settled, Edward handed her a glass of water and three aspirin. "You did very well, Bella. Carlisle and Esme would be proud," he said as he took the empty glass back from her and set it on the night stand.

Bella smiled, Edward's uncharacteristic behavior suffusing her body with a comforting warmth. "You said my name," she observed. "You never call me Bella."

Edward's posture immediately stiffened and he turned to his own bed. "Go to sleep," he ordered, grabbing his pajamas from his bag and walking into the bathroom.

"I'm not tired," Bella grumbled, settling back on her pillow.

She was asleep in moments.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Noticed  
**By**: Liz  
**Chapter**: 2  
**Rating**: M  
**Author's Notes**: I know, I know, I'm really sorry! I meant to have this up last weekend but life has been continually getting in the way. I'm going to get my wisdom teeth pulled tomorrow, though, which I know will put me out of commission for a few days so I wanted to get this up before then. I really hope you all enjoy!  
**Special Notes**: For my sister, Blue-Winter-Angel, for being there. Next year at Uni is going to be amazing! For my cousin, the amazing moron whose name I borrowed for this chapter! And to everyone who has reviewed, thank you so much, it really does mean a lot.  
**Special Note 2**: This chapter contains a lemon. It's a far more graphic lemon than any I've written before so if you shouldn't be reading this, please don't. I tried to keep it from being too, well, yeah, and I'm a bit nervous about it so I hope you all like it.  
**Disclaimers**: I own the plot and a minor character here and there – I'm sure you'll be able to tell which ones. All major characters are not mine. Pearl is real and she is.

* * *

When Bella awoke the next morning, her head was pounding mercilessly and she groaned as she forced her eyes open. She'd forgotten how bad red wine hangovers could be. There was a fresh glass of water on the night stand with a bottle of aspirin and Bella gratefully picked up the container, shaking out three aspirin tablets and quickly downing them with the icy water.

When she had finished, Bella sank back on the pillows as she tried to remember the events that had led her to this state. She remembered the cocktail hour and Jacob Black and wine. A lot of wine, she amended as a wave of nausea rolled through her stomach at the thought. And that had all been on an empty stomach, she remembered with a groan. _Idiot_, she scolded herself as she closed her eyes again.

They snapped open again almost immediately, however, when she heard the bathroom door open. Edward stepped into the room, fully dressed, and he immediately looked over at Bella. Forcing a small, sheepish smile, Bella looked from the bottle of aspirin to Edward. "Thank you," she said quietly, hoping he would understand she was talking about more than the hangover remedy.

Edward's expression seemed to soften momentarily before it returned to the haughty look Bella knew so well. "I didn't think Esme and Carlisle would appreciate our organization having the drunken bed hopping member of the conference this year."

Bella glared at him as she dragged herself out of bed. "You're a fucking white knight," she snapped as she pushed past him and into the bathroom.

Fuming to herself, Bella dropped her bag on the counter and turned on the shower. Honestly, why the fuck did she even bother? She quickly stripped off her pajamas and stepped into the shower, praying that the aspirin would kick in soon.

She took a long shower, letting the hot water ease some of the tension in her muscles and clear her head while she continued to think about the previous night. As she rinsed the shampoo from her hair, her thoughts turned to Edward's behavior. He had taken care of her – not only that morning, but the night before as well. What on earth was that about? Was he actually being nice to her?

Bella snorted to herself at the thought. Nice? To her? Not freaking likely. He was only looking out for the organization. Not to mention the fact that he had probably really gotten off on ordering her around and dragging her away from Jacob.

Not that getting her away from Jacob had probably been a bad idea, she admitted to herself with a frown. She had definitely been past her drink limit the night before and she had been getting a vibe from Jacob that was a little…off.

Bella stepped out of the shower and grabbed her towel. She wasn't here to meet guys anyway. She was here to learn something and make some new contacts so she could better help the organization. Carlisle and Esme had chosen her especially for this conference and she was not going to let them down.

She had heard Edward leave while she was in the bathroom so she took the opportunity to take her time getting ready. Much as she tried, however, she couldn't seem to stop thinking about her confusing co-worker and her mind was in overdrive as she brushed her teeth. The night before was admittedly a little fuzzy, but there were certain things that stood out clearly in her memory. At the forefront of her thoughts was Edward's recent behavior. He had praised her the night before, told her she had done a good job with her presentation and that their bosses would be proud of her. Bella shook her head sharply, causing the images to dissipate as she leaned over the sink to rinse out her mouth. What the hell was that about? Was he playing some kind of game with her?

Bella groaned again. The thoughts swirling through her head were not helping her addled brain any and she determinedly pushed them from her mind as she finished getting dressed and putting on her makeup. She still felt less than human when she was ready to leave the room but she knew she had to get some food into herself if she wanted to feel better any time soon.

Picking up her bag, Bella left her room and made her way down to the hotel's restaurant. The breakfast buffet was covered by the conference and Bella grabbed a plate and began piling food onto her plate. The guy next to her in line stared at her in surprise but Bella ignored him as she continued piling massive amounts of scrambled eggs, hash browns, home fries, toast, a biscuit, and fruit on her plate. An extra large glass of orange juice completed her breakfast.

Bella knew that for her, the best thing to do the morning after a drinking binge was to get fluids and greasy food in her stomach to rehydrate herself and absorb the alcohol. It was a strategy she had developed in college and it hadn't let her down since.

Satisfied that she had enough food, Bella found an empty table in a corner of the restaurant and immediately dug into her breakfast. She was halfway through her food when she realized someone was standing by her table.

"Morning, Bella." Angela stood before her holding a plate of bacon and eggs. "Mind if I join you?"

Bella shook her head and took a gulp of her orange juice before she trusted herself to speak. "How are you so okay when there was an open bar last night?" she asked as the taller woman sat down across from her.

Angela blushed. "I, um, I kind of missed the whole cocktail thing," she confessed. "I went back up to my room to change after your presentation and Ben called. We ended up talking for hours." She smiled sheepishly. "I fell asleep while we were still on the phone. Slept right through dinner and everything so I'm absolutely starving."

Bella smiled at Angela as the other woman split open the roll on her plate and tucked the bacon and eggs inside before taking a large bite. When she swallowed, she turned her focus back to Bella. "So, did I miss anything good last night?" she asked with a grin. "Any impromptu karaoke this year?"

Bella gave her a questioning look. "I don't think I want to know the story behind that one," she said with a laugh.

Angela giggled. "That's probably wise. Though I think it might have been the highlight of last year's conference." The two women shared a laugh before lapsing into comfortable silence as they finished up their breakfasts.

"You gave a great presentation yesterday," Angela told Bella as they began to gather their things. "I was sitting right by your favorite co-worker and even he looked like he enjoyed it," she added with a grin.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. Though he did seem to enjoy going all caveman on me last night."

Angela raised an eyebrow and Bella blushed. "Not what I meant. I'm talking more along the lines of interrupting a friendly conversation with Jacob Black, dragging me back to my room, and telling me that Jacob is not to be trusted. It was unbelievable, really."

Angela's expression turned troubled and she was quiet a moment.

"Angela?" Bella prompted gently.

Angela sighed. "Actually, I've heard some things about Jacob that aren't exactly flattering," she admitted. "I know you'll probably hate to hear this, but Edward was right. I'd advise steering clear of him."

Bella refrained from rolling her eyes again. _Figures_, she thought to herself. She gave Angela a wry smile. "As long as we pretend it was my decision, okay?"

Angela grinned. "Deal. Now come on, let's get your hungover butt into the ballroom. The guy from Fight Crime, Invest in Kids is about to speak and he gives a great presentation." Feeling far better than she had an hour earlier, Bella agreed and the two headed off to join Jessica in the ballroom for the morning's first presentation.

* * *

The rest of the day passed much like the first day had, with numerous presentations and a subpar catered lunch with Angela and Jessica. Today, though, with her own presentation behind her, Bella was actually able to relax and pay attention to and enjoy what her colleagues had to say.

There were presentations on early childhood education as well as gang violence and non-traditional familial structure and Bella followed along in the handouts with interest. She made notes about several of the presentations to try to find some of the presenters later to speak with them.

And then it was time for Edward's presentation on alternatives to incarceration for juvenile offenders.

Bella had heard him speak before, of course, during meetings and the like, but she'd never seen him do a full on presentation like this. He was confident and engaging, his knowledge of the subject matter coming across clearly to the audience. In short, Edward was an exceptional presenter. And Bella couldn't take her eyes off of him.

Bella was focused more on the sound of Edward's voice than what he was actually saying and when the audience began applauding at the end of his presentation, she joined in almost automatically, somewhat startled to realize he had finished. Edward looked around the room and for a moment, he seemed to look right at her, a small smile touching his lips. But before Bella could register his expression and possibly smile back, he had already shifted his attention and was looking somewhere on the other side of the room.

A woman from Families United spoke after Edward but Bella had a difficult time focusing on the lecture. All she could think about was the way Edward had smiled at her. She tried to tell herself that he hadn't been looking at her or that he hadn't meant to smile at her but herself didn't want to hear it.

Maybe she was finally seeing this other side of Edward that Alice and Esme had alluded to. Maybe it was her turn to take the olive branch Edward had seemed to extend to her, or possibly time to extend one of her own. Then again, he had also been a truly obnoxious jerk to her just that morning. Safe to say, she was extremely confused by his behavior.

Bella spent the rest of the presentation trying to figure out just what, if anything, she should do about Edward. It was only when people began rising from the tables around her and trickling out of the room that she even realized the sessions were over for the day. Angela was talking to another woman and Jessica was nowhere to be seen so Bella headed out to the lobby on her own.

As a result of her inner musings during the final lecture of the day, she had finally decided to ask Edward if he wanted to get dinner with her. A simple meal shared between co-workers. When she said it to herself that way, it sounded completely harmless. She doubted they would end up friends or anything along those lines but maybe they could at least have a cordial working relationship without any overt hostility on either side. It was worth a shot anyway, right?

_No time like the present_, she thought to herself. She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath, trying to psych herself up as her eyes began to search the lobby for him.

"Bella." Startled from her mental preparations, Bella turned around to see Angela standing behind her. "You thought about dinner yet?" Angela asked. "Jess and I were thinking about going out to get something."

"Um." Bella didn't want to be rude, but she had really thought it might be the right time to talk with Edward. "Food sounds good," she said vaguely, trying to unobtrusively scan the lobby. She finally found him, standing near the hotel's front doors, and she took a deep breath as she prepared herself to decline Angela's invitation and approach Edward.

Before she could say a word to Angela, however, she saw a very attractive brunette enter the hotel and throw her arms around Edward in an enthusiastic hug. Bella's stomach dropped even as her top lip involuntarily curled in disgust at the scene before her.

Seeing her expression, Angela followed Bella's gaze to the couple, raising an eyebrow as she once again looked at Bella. It looked like her new friend hadn't been entirely honest with Angela or herself when it came to Edward Masen.

She gently tapped Bella's shoulder, pulling the other woman's attention away from Edward and his companion. "Come on, let's go eat," she suggested. "Jessica found this sushi place around the corner she's been dying to try."

As if on cue, Jessica suddenly appeared at Bella's elbow. "Come on, you guys, let's go get some food already. I haven't eaten since that crappy catered lunch and I'm starving."

"Um, sure, that sounds great," Bella agreed in what she hoped was an enthusiastic tone as she watched Edward and his companion exit the hotel.

Angela subtly nudged Bella's arm. "Jacob Black's coming over here and it looks like he wants to talk to you," she said quietly.

Seeing the grimace on Bella's face, Jessica wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, that guy creeps me out," she declared. "And he can wait – I'm hungry." Hooking one arm through Bella's and her other through Angela's, Jessica led the group toward the entrance.

* * *

"I don't know why you think Edward Masen doesn't like you, Bella," Jessica said, mixing a tiny bit of wasabi into her dish of soy sauce. "We all saw him smiling at you when he finished his presentation today."

The three women were eating dinner at the nearby sushi restaurant and Bella almost choked on her soda when, apropos of absolutely nothing, Jessica brought up the same man who had been occupying her thoughts for a good portion of the day. She tried not to blush. "Right, Jess," she scoffed. "I'm sure that in that entire audience, he was looking right at me. Believe me, the man can't stand me and the feeling is mutual."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "For someone who can't stand you, he can't seem to say enough nice things about you to other people." Bella looked at Jessica but refused to ask her to elaborate. Luckily – or not, Bella wasn't entirely sure – the petite woman needed no encouragement to explain her statement.

"Believe me, Bella. I was standing with him last night during the cocktail hour and he was absolutely singing your praises. I swear, I wish I had someone to talk me up like that," Jessica said with a grin. "Give him five minutes alone with your bosses to talk about you, they'll have you running that place in no time."

"More like they'd probably fire me," Bella replied, wishing the conversation had not gone in this direction.

"Psh, not even." Jessica waved her hand dismissively. "You should have heard him. The program you presented on was entirely your work of genius, you do exceptional work, the organization is really lucky to have you and they're all so glad you're there.

"Trust me," Jessica finished as she stabbed another piece of sushi with her chopsticks. "If Edward goes on about you to your bosses like he was last night, I see a large raise in your near future."

"Well, he must have been drunk if he was saying anything nice," Bella couldn't help saying. "That man's never said anything nice about me of his own volition."

Jessica grinned. "Really? Then I think I've just figured out your evil plan," she teased. "You're using that sharing a room thing as a way to get ahead in your organization. You're probably whispering things in Edward's ear every night about what an amazing employee you are.

_If I was close enough to whisper in his ear, my job would be the last thing on either one of our minds_. Bella started, her cheeks heating up instantly at the thought. Where on earth had _that_ come from? _He doesn't like you, you don't like him_," she reminded herself sharply.

"Busted," Jessica laughed.

Angela saw the uncomfortable expression on Bella's face and quickly changed the subject. "So what did Mike have to say, Jess?" She laughed at the surprised look Jessica gave her. "I saw you sneak out with your cell during the Families United speaker."

"I swear, that man can't function without me for five minutes." Jessica rolled her eyes but neither Angela nor Bella missed the fond look on her face. Bella shot Angela a grateful smile, relieved the conversation was no longer focused on her, and settled back in her chair as Jessica launched into a detailed recap of her conversation with her boyfriend.

It was several hours later by the time Bella finally returned to her room. After dinner, they had all headed back to Angela and Jessica's room. Jessica had picked up a six pack of beer earlier in the day and the women had spent the next few hours watching ridiculous TV, drinking beer, and talking. Feeling vaguely like she was back in college, Bella had thoroughly enjoyed herself, managing to keep almost all thoughts of Edward Masen out of her head.

She was happy to see that Edward had not returned to the room yet and she tried to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her head that reminded her that this only meant he was still out with the beautiful woman from the lobby.

After quickly changing into her pajamas, Bella settled herself comfortably in her bed. She had chosen to leave the bathroom light on for Edward, telling herself it was more because she didn't want him stumbling around in the dark and waking her up than for any actual concern for his well being.

She flipped through the TV channels for a few minutes but nothing caught her interest and she soon abandoned the idea of TV as she realized that what she really wanted at the moment was to talk to her best friends. She picked up her cell and hit "4" to speed dial Rose. The phone rang twice before she heard someone pick it up.

"Bellsy!" Emmett bellowed.

"Hey, Em," Bella said, a smile crossing her face. "Does Rose know you're answering her phone?"

"She's in the bathroom," Emmett explained. "And I saw it was you so I had to pick up."

Bella smiled again. "So what are you guys up to?"

"Eh, not much." Bella could almost hear Emmett shrug. "We miss you! How's Chicago? Is that guy behaving himself?"

Bella groaned. "I don't know, he's not here right now, so I think I'd just like to focus on enjoying that."

Emmett was silent for so long, Bella was about to ask if he was still there when he spoke up again. "Right now? What aren't you telling me, Bells?"

Bella closed her eyes tightly. Shit. She hadn't meant to let that slip. She didn't really think she could handle her friends teasing her about it at the moment.

"Bella?" Emmett's voice was concerned now.

Bella bit her lip before everything came out in a rush. "They only booked one room with two beds so I have to share a room with Edward for the week."

Emmett was quiet again for a moment. "Are you all right?" he finally asked. "Is he giving you any trouble?"

Bella sighed. "It's fine, really, Em," she said. "But can we talk about something else instead? Please? Tell me what you and Rose have been up to while I've been out here."

"Well, apparently, we're all – me, you, and Rose – going out with your friends Alice and Jasper on Saturday night."

"Really?" Bella was a little surprised.

"Yeah, Rosie's and Alice have been talking on facebook since, like, Saturday night," Emmett replied. "They're getting along really well – should I be worried?"

Bella smiled. "Nah, Alice is great," she said. "And Jasper's one of the most laid back people I've ever met. That'll be fun if I'm not too wiped out."

She changed the subject then. "And how's my Pearl girl?"

"Dude, this dog is so awesome," Emmett said enthusiastically.

"Have you asked Rose for one of your own yet?"

"Twice," Emmett admitted. "She just keeps saying 'we'll see,' but I think I'm wearing her down." He then went on to tell Bella how he and Pearl had gone to the dog park earlier in the day and she had entertained most of the humans present. "People were asking me what she was stalking and all the kids there just kept laughing watching her do her great white hunter thing." Emmett laughed and Bella found herself smiling as well as she pictured the scene. Despite the trauma of her early life, Pearl had retained her natural hunting instincts; these days, however, her quarry consisted of butterflies and moths which was always an entertaining sight for bystanders.

Bella was pretty sure Emmett could have continued talking about her dog for a good while longer but she heard Rose in the background demanding her phone and Emmett reluctantly said goodbye. "See you soon, Bells. Love you!"

"Love you, too, Em," Bella said as she heard the phone being passed to Rose.

"Heya," Rose said. "How's Chicago? Are you having fun?"

"I haven't really gotten to see all that much of it," Bella admitted. "But I did go out to dinner tonight with two women from an organization in Portland and that was fun."

"Mm-hmm, and how's Edward?"

Bella closed her eyes for a moment. She really didn't want to talk about this right now with Rose. "We try not to have too much to do with each other," she told Rose. "So far, that's working for me." Before Rose could ask any follow up questions, Bella quickly switched the subject. "Emmett said we're all going out on Saturday night with Alice and Jasper."

"Yeah, I thought it would be fun for all of us to go out. I like Alice, we should definitely hang out with her more."

"Yeah, I like Alice, too," Bella agreed. "I've never really gotten to hang out with her all that much because Edward usually seems to be included in whatever plans she makes."

"Well, don't worry, it'll just be the five of us," Rose assured her. "No co-workers. I'm thinking you'll need a break from him after this week anyway."

Bella sighed. "You have no idea," she muttered.

"What was that?" Rose asked.

"Ask Emmett," Bella replied before quickly changing the subject. She and Rose talked for a little while longer before Bella's side of the conversation was overtaken by several large yawns. She and Rose said goodbye and Bella turned out the light, quickly drifting off to sleep, her brain filled with thoughts of her aggravating co-worker.

* * *

The next morning, Bella awoke to the sound of the alarm on her cell phone and she slapped her hand around blindly on the night stand for a moment until her hand come into contact with the offending object and she successfully shut it off. She was lying still for a few moments, debating on whether or not she really wanted to get up, when she suddenly had the unsettling feeling that someone was staring at her. She quickly opened her eyes and sat up, her eyes immediately focusing on the bed across from her.

Edward lay in the other bed, sound asleep, and Bella couldn't help staring at him for a moment. She wondered if his hair was as soft as it looked, what it would feel like to run her fingers through it. Edward shifted slightly in his sleep and Bella came back to herself with a jolt. What was she doing? Ogling a man who could barely bother to treat her like a human being most of the time?

She hurriedly got out of bed and gathered her things before making her way to the bathroom. As she turned on the water and took off her pajamas, bits and pieces from her dreams the night before danced through her mind and she couldn't help blushing. Her dreams had been way beyond her control. Details were hazy but the slowly receding throbbing between her legs told her enough and she turned the cold water on high before she stepped into the shower. Hopefully, Edward was a deep sleeper. The thought of him possibly witnessing her in the middle of a dream like _that_ made her face burn despite the cool water.

When Bella exited the bathroom, Edward was just getting out of bed and he acknowledged Bella's presence with a quick look and nod.

Bella crossed the room and began to gather what she would need for the day. "I appreciate you sticking to our agreement and not bringing whatever her name was to our room last night." Bella almost groaned out loud after she spoke. Why had she said that? She hadn't meant to say that – it made her look jealous and bitchy. Which she definitely was** not**, dammit.

Edward, too, looked surprised. "What, Maddi? Not that it's any of your business, Swan, but we went to school together at Northwestern. She and her husband picked me up so we could all go out to dinner with some friends from school. I got in late but I was careful not to disturb your beauty sleep."

Bella glared at him as he continued. "I hope _you're_ planning on sticking to our agreement. I have no desire to see Jacob Black in my room."

"Not that it's any of your business," Bella said, stiffly echoing Edward's words, "but Angela corroborated what you said about Jacob and his behavior. Me being anywhere alone with him will not be an issue."

For a moment, Edward looked relieved. "Huh, it looks like you actually do have common sense after all," he said with a smirk.

Bella savagely bit the inside of her cheek. From someone else, the words might have been almost teasing, but coming out of Edward Masen's mouth, they sounded downright condescending to Bella. Fighting down the urge to slap the smirk right off his face, she instead picked up her bag and stalked out of the room without another word.

Jessica must have imagined her conversation with Edward, Bella decided as she waited impatiently for the elevator, because there was no way that man had ever had anything nice to say either to or about her.

* * *

The day was relatively uneventful, filled with the typical presentations and introductions to people she would probably never see again, and Bella found she was glad for the monotony. As far as she was concerned, the week had been eventful enough already and being in such close proximity to Edward on a daily basis had her on edge. She was looking forward to getting back to Seattle and her life. She would miss Angela and Jessica but they had exchanged contact information and had already made plans for a girls' weekend in one of their two cities after they got back.

She tried to stay out of the room as much as possible. The less time she had to spend alone with Edward, the better as far as she was concerned. She, Angela, and Jessica got dinner together once again and then decided to skip the conference events that had been scheduled for that evening and went to a movie instead.

By the time she finally made it back to her room, it was close to 11:00 and she tried to be as quiet as possible as she slipped into the room. She eased the door back into place before she turned to face the room and realized that the bathroom light had been left on for her. In the shadowy light she could see that Edward appeared to be asleep already.

Bella decided to shower before going to bed. She was supposed to meet Angela and Jessica for breakfast and showering now was better than having to wake up extra early just so she could beat Edward into the shower. She figured the shower shouldn't disturb his sleep and she quietly gathered her things and made her way into the bathroom.

She took a quick shower, praying Edward would stay asleep, and even towel dried her hair thoroughly, not willing to risk waking him up by using the hairdryer. After hanging up her extra towel, she reached for her bottle of body lotion, swearing softly when the bottle slipped from her fingers and clattered loudly to the floor.

Bella froze for a second, listening for any sound from the other room, but then shrugged to herself. If she'd woken Edward up, she'd deal with his attitude later. There was nothing she could do about it now anyway.

* * *

Edward started as he woke from a sound sleep. What the hell? He had no idea what had yanked him awake and he looked around the room, rubbing his eyes. He could have sworn he had heard something, but maybe that had just been a dream. He sighed, his eyes landing on the shaft of light coming out from under the bathroom door. Why the hell was the bathroom light on? He stumbled out of bed and over to the bathroom door. Still half asleep, he opened the bathroom door. The sight that met his eyes caused him to wake up instantly.

Bella stood before him, wrapped only in a towel as she smoothed lotion over her legs.

"Don't you knock?" Bella cried, her cheeks flushed with a combination of embarrassment and anger as she stood up straight to face Edward.

"Don't you lock the door?" Edward shot back, trying not to stare at the barely clothed woman in front of him and the tempting blush that was spreading across her body.

"You were asleep," Bella snapped. "And I certainly didn't think you were the type of person who would just walk in on someone while she was in the bathroom." Unable to stop himself, Edward's eyes swept lazily over Bella's body. "Hey, up here," she growled. "Edward-"

The sound of his name on her lips was too much for Edward and in a split second he had crossed the bathroom to Bella and pulled her into his arms. And then his mouth was on hers, devouring her, and Bella forgot how to breathe. Her head spun and her knees felt weak and before she knew what she was doing, she was kissing Edward back.

Edward finally broke the kiss and Bella withdrew as she came back to reality with a thud, slapping Edward sharply across the face. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded, eyes blazing.

The air seemed to crackle between them as they stared at each other and without warning, Bella launched herself at Edward.

With a groan, Edward wrapped her in his arms, hungrily returning her kiss and lifting her up so that she wound her legs around his waist as he carried her from the bathroom. Bella yanked Edward's t-shirt over his head as they approached his bed, using her feet to shove his pajama pants down his legs as he hurriedly removed the towel from her body.

They fell onto the bed in a naked tangle of limbs and caresses, Edward's body coming to rest squarely on top of Bella's. His lips traveled from Bella's lips down to her neck and she moaned as his tongue brushed lightly back and forth over her pulse point.

He ran his hands down her sides to her waist before gently trailing them back up her stomach to cup her breasts. He lowered his head to her right breast, taking her nipple into his mouth as he gently trailed the palm of his hand back and forth over her left nipple. Bella gasped brokenly, her entire body jerking at the feeling of Edward's hands and mouth on her. His mouth moved to her left breast, his hand now gently caressing her right breast as he swirled his tongue around her other nipple.

Bella bit her lip, her hips beginning to rock against Edward as he continued tasting her skin. She reached down to tangle her fingers in his hair, her mind dimly registering the fact that it _was_ in fact as soft as it looked. Edward's hand dropped from her breast to her pelvis and with the gentlest of touches, he began tracing lines back and forth between her hip bones with one finger.

He moved back up above her again, his lips capturing her own in a slow, searching kiss. He gently stroked her face with one hand as his other hand trailed lightly up her side and came to rest beside her shoulder, bracing his body as he continued to kiss her, their tongues taking the time to explore each other's mouths thoroughly.

Somewhere in her hazy thoughts, Bella realized she wasn't being entirely fair, only taking when Edward was giving so much. It was time for her to be a participant as well. She gently trailed her nails down Edward's back, sliding her hand around his hip before taking his cock in her hand and pumping gently. Edward drew in a sharp breath, his hips thrusting forward as she stroked him. Bella took advantage of his distracted state and rolled them over so that she was now straddling Edward's chest.

Edward caught his breath at the sight of Bella perched above him, hair flowing, chest heaving, her beautiful face half lit by the light coming from the bathroom. He reached for her but she pulled back just out of his reach, a wicked smile on her lips as she began to slide down his body.

Her fingers traced meaningless patterns on his thighs for a moment before her hand returned to grasp his cock once more. Forming a circle with her thumb and index finger, she began to drag her hand slowly up and down his shaft, placing just enough pressure on him to make him moan.

Edward fought to maintain control as Bella continued to stroke him, unwilling to let this all end so soon. But then Bella replaced her hand with her mouth and Edward knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"Oh God, Bella," he groaned as her warm mouth took him in completely. His hands reached down to grip her shoulders forcefully, his hips thrusting upward as his breathing quickened. Bella slowly ran her tongue up his shaft before suddenly taking him entirely in her mouth in one quick movement. It was Edward's undoing and he came, hard, his head thrown back and the tendons in his neck straining as he cried Bella's name.

After a few moments, Edward's body relaxed and his hands released their grip on Bella's shoulders and fell limply to his sides. Smiling triumphantly, Bella crawled slowly back up Edward's body, trailing kisses along his chest as she went. When she reached his face, she teasingly bypassed his lips, instead continuing kissing along his jawline and up to his ear. She swirled her tongue along the shell of his ear before biting down gently on his earlobe. Edward growled low in his throat, grabbing her face in his hands and pulling her lips down to his in a bruising kiss. Without warning, he flipped her onto her back, his lips returning to her neck once more.

Bella's head tipped back, allowing Edward better access as he trailed his lips down her neck, alternating between kissing and gently nipping the soft skin there. His hand stroked slowly down her side, pausing briefly to caress her breast before continuing down to her hip, catching her thigh and hooking her right leg over his shoulder.

Using his fingers, he gently spread her lips with his fingers before running just his index finger lightly up and down her slit. He bent his head down closer, his cool breath brushing her overheated core, and Bella whimpered, her hips jerking forward at the intense sensation. His tongue quickly replaced his fingers and Bella couldn't help moaning at the erotic sight of that beautiful bronze hair between her legs.

She squirmed as his tongue teased her mercilessly. He swirled his tongue to the left, to the right, always just avoiding the center where she wanted him most. Bella whimpered again as the pressure between her legs became unbearable. "Edward," she managed, fisting her hands roughly in his hair.

Her head dropped back on the pillow and she moaned as Edward's fingers rejoined his tongue and continued their expert ministrations, her hips arching off the bed to meet him halfway. Her body tensed and her heels dug into Edward's back as he finally brought his tongue to brush directly over her clit. His strokes suddenly became rougher and she moaned, her hands falling to her side and fiercely gripping the bedsheets as her orgasm consumed her.

Edward continued to stroke Bella gently with his fingers as he removed her legs from over his shoulders and let them lie flat on the bed once more. As Bella came down from her blissful high, Edward positioned himself above her. He entered her in one powerful thrust and Bella's gasp of surprise trailed off into a loud moan at the incredibly pleasurable sensation. Edward dropped his forehead to Bella's shoulder, sighing in contentment as he let Bella adjust to him. He raised his head when he felt her hips shift beneath his and their gazes met for a long moment before Edward began thrusting into her.

Bella's back arched off the bed and her hips came up to meet Edward's, their bodies moving together in perfect harmony. The muscles she had admired only days earlier quivered and contracted under her touch as she ran her fingers down his back. Their lips met over and over again as Bella slid her hands up Edward's neck to the base of his scalp, weaving her hands through his hair and tugging gently as she pulled him closer still.

With one arm still supporting his weight, Edward reached his other hand down between them, his fingers returning to the swollen bundle of nerves between her legs. He circled her clit with his thumb, keeping his strokes in time with the thrusts of their bodies.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." He whispered her name over and over, the most sacred of prayers.

Bella bit her lip, her body writhing beneath Edward's at the incredible sensations he was evoking.

"Let go, sweetheart," he murmured, his lips softly brushing over hers.

Bella met Edward's gaze and for a moment, she saw an incredible tenderness in his eyes. Then she let go, her legs spasming even as her hands clutched Edward's back and she moaned his name, her hips pressed into his as he continued rocking into her once, twice. And then he was groaning her name, his face buried against her neck as his body jerked and he released into her.

After a few moments, Edward gently brushed the sweaty hair back from Bella's face before leaning down to press a lingering kiss to her forehead. He withdrew from her body and shifted so that he was lying next to her, gathering her into his arms and pulling her back flat against his chest as he dragged the covers up around them. Spent and absolutely content, Bella snuggled back against Edward. Nuzzling her neck, Edward nosed her hair out of the way to press a soft kiss to the back of her shoulder. "Good night, love," he murmured.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Noticed  
**By**: Liz  
**Chapter**: 3  
**Rating**: M  
**Author's Notes**: Hmm. This so did not turn out the way I had planned but I just keep messing with it the longer I have it, so I'm posting it before it gets any more off track and just up and drives me crazy. I hope you all enjoy! Sorry for the delay – work has owned my butt lately.  
**Special Notes**: For my sister, Blue-Winter-Angel, who put up with all my nerves and indecision about this story and has always been there. Thanks for being you, sis!  
**Disclaimers**: I own the plot and a minor character here and there – I'm sure you'll be able to tell which ones. All major characters are not mine. Pearl is real and she is.

* * *

The first thing that occurred to Bella when she awoke the next morning was that she was naked. The second thought that hit her was that she was not alone in the bed. Smiling sleepily to herself, she resettled herself against the warm body next to her, her eyes drifting closed as images from the previous night began to play out in her mind. The sex had been beyond amazing and as for Edward himself, well… A dreamy smile crossed Bella's lips as she recalled the things that he had done to her body and she sighed contentedly, snuggling back even more closely against him.

Seconds later, her eyes flew open wide, her body going stiff.

_Oh, __**shit**__!_

Sex. With **Edward**? Oh God, what had she done? More to the point, what was she going to do now?

Maybe he was still asleep, maybe she could sneak out before he woke up. Holding her breath, she carefully rolled over so that she was facing Edward.

He was in fact still sleeping and Bella couldn't help pausing a moment to stare at him in the early morning light peeking in under the curtains. He looked so peaceful, so content, and she had to fight the urge to reach up and stroke his cheek.

_Stop_! she ordered herself sternly, an icy sensation that was part fear, part nausea settling in her stomach as the reality of the situation hit her. _This is absolutely crazy. You need to get up and get out of here and figure this out. Preferably before Edward wakes up_. Bella carefully disentangled herself from Edward's arms and inched to the side of the bed. She spotted her discarded towel on the ground and quickly snatched it up, wrapping it hastily around her body as she began to ease off of the bed.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a warm hand encircle her forearm.

"What's your hurry?" Edward asked, his voice husky with sleep.

Not daring to look at him again, Bella tightened her towel around her. "In case you've forgotten, we're here for a conference. We're already late for the first session."

Edward smiled lazily. "It's the last day. Nothing important really gets done today. Most people will skip anyway."

"Be that as it may, we both still have a duty to the organization. Now release my arm, please," Bella said stiffly.

Edward acquiesced and Bella fairly leapt from the bed, never once looking in his direction as she gathered up her things and hurried into the bathroom. The door shut firmly behind her, the click of the lock echoing through the quiet room.

Edward stared after her a moment before he shrugged to himself. Maybe she wasn't a morning person, maybe she just needed some food or coffee before she felt human.

He flopped back on the bed with a smile on his face, raising his arms above his head as he stretched languidly. He rolled onto his side, his head coming to rest on Bella's recently abandoned pillow, and he couldn't help inhaling deeply.

With Bella's scent enveloping him, he let his mind wander as he tried to plan how the two of them could spend the day. True, this was technically the last day of the conference and there was probably a presentation or two he could attend, but he knew Esme and Carlisle wouldn't mind him skipping the final day, especially given the situation.

His smile grew as he rolled over and picked up the phone next to the bed, quickly punching in the number for the front desk. He knew they needed to have a serious conversation and that he owed her an explanation as well as an apology for his past behavior, but he told himself the heavy stuff could wait. For the moment, he simply wanted to enjoy being with Bella.

* * *

In the bathroom, Bella's mind dimly registered that her hands were shaking as she turned on the shower and she quickly discarded her towel and stepped under the warm water. She washed her hair, trying to focus on anything but the problem at hand, but that only worked for a minute or so.

What the hell was she going to do?

Thank God for the pill. For some reason, this thought struck her as hilarious and she had to press her lips together to hold back a sudden burst of almost hysterical laughter. The feeling passed almost instantly, however, and she was suddenly choking back sobs as the tears began to fall, the spray washing over her to mix with the hot tears that streamed down her face.

She rested her hand against the shower wall and leaned her forehead against it, her body shaking with silent sobs. God, what if the horrible Maureen had been right after all? What if this was something Edward did regularly at conferences? What if he had simply used his looks to get what he wanted from her?

Not that she had any idea what he could possibly want from her. Beyond the sex, of course. God, the sex. She shivered at the thought before she forced her mind to focus on why this was a bad thing. She had slept with a co-worker, with Edward, a man who treated her like she was incompetent and not worth his time.

This could only negatively affect her professional life, she told herself as she scrubbed her body roughly with a washcloth. She was not going to let good sex – okay, incredible, mind-blowing, once in a lifetime sex – distract her from that fact.

_You have no idea how he'll use this against you in the future_, she told herself sharply as she got out of the shower and grabbed a fresh towel. She glanced at the door, hearing the sounds of Edward moving around in the room beyond and for a second, she entertained the idea of just hiding in the bathroom until he left. _Yeah, nice try_, her mind taunted. Sighing in resignation, she wrapped the towel around her and stepped up to the counter, picking up her comb and beginning to drag it through her wet hair.

She wiped away the condensation on the mirror and stood for a moment staring unseeingly at her reflection as her mind continued to work furiously. She was pulled suddenly from her thoughts when she noticed the redness on her shoulders. Looking closer, she could see very faint marks, shaped almost like…fingers. She froze, her hand holding the comb pausing mid-stroke as her mind immediately returned to Edward desperately gripping her shoulders only hours ago as she had brought him to orgasm. She could almost feel his long fingers on her skin and she forced herself to pull her gaze from the mirror even as her body tingled pleasantly at the sensation.

_Focus_! she reminded herself. The sex might have been amazing but Edward was still the same guy who had treated her so badly for the last five months; there was no telling what he would do with the leverage he now had against her. For all she knew, he was planning on telling Esme and Carlisle the moment they got back to Seattle and getting her fired. Or maybe he would just hold it over her for the foreseeable future, reveling in making her squirm with what he might do with the information.

This was not the time to panic, she told herself. What she had to do right now was take control of the situation before it got any further out of hand. She nodded resolutely. It was time to go on the offensive.

When she emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, her hair dried, she found Edward standing by the bed with a tray of food from room service. "Breakfast in bed?" he asked with a smile. "I didn't know what you liked, so I got a little of everything."

"Don't even let it cross your mind," Bella said sharply. "Your little game ends here and now. What happened last night was a massively stupid mistake and it will not happen again. I am not about to throw away my future with the organization just to be another notch in your bedpost."

Edward's jaw dropped and for a moment he could only stare. "What?"

"As far as I'm concerned, last night was nothing more than a very bad dream," Bella said as she picked up her bag and her room key. "We would both be better off forgetting it ever happened." She raised her chin defiantly as she forced herself to look Edward directly in the eye. The expression on his face, however, caused her to almost immediately look away and she hastily walked out of the room without another word.

* * *

An hour later, Bella was sitting at a bookstore café several blocks from the hotel. She tried to convince herself she wasn't actually hiding from Edward as she sat at a table tucked in the very back of the room. She'd bought herself a muffin and some juice at the café for breakfast but she hadn't been able to actually eat any of it. Eventually, she tossed her food in the trash and headed for the store's large Fiction section where she spent the next few hours browsing through the books and rereading passages from her favorite novels as she tried to forget about the previous evening.

But forgetting proved to be impossible even as Bella attempted to immerse herself in the words of her favorite authors. Every other word she read was suddenly a trigger for a particular memory from the previous night and she eventually gave up, setting the book she was currently holding back on the shelf and taking a seat in one of the store's numerous overstuffed chairs.

Reluctantly admitting to herself that there was no getting around it, she finally stopped trying to block Edward from her thoughts and gave into her memories of the previous night. She told herself that maybe if she let the thoughts run their course, they would stop having such a hold over her thoughts and body. This course of action quickly proved futile, though, and Bella's whole body felt like it was in sensory overload as the memories flooded her brain.

She could remember every brush of Edward's fingers on her bare skin, the feel of his lips on hers and pressed against her skin. His velvety voice whispering her name over and over. The tender look in his eyes any time she had met his gaze. The look on his face when she had left the hotel room that morning haunted her. He had looked so sad, so…lost. That couldn't be right. She must have been misreading his expression.

How could this be the same man she had been working beside for the past seven months? And how on earth was she supposed to continue working alongside him after last night? She sighed heavily, momentarily dropping her head into her hands as the same question that had been haunting her since she'd woken up crossed her mind. What the hell was she going to do?

Should she pretend she'd been drunk? She shook her head, discarding that idea as quickly as it had come to her. She had already spoken with Edward that morning; it was probably a little late to try to play the "I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing" card now. Besides, a reputation as the "drunk, bed hopping member" of the convention, as Edward had so eloquently put it, certainly wasn't something Bella was eager to embrace. Maybe _he'd_ been drunk. He hadn't appeared to be but how else could his extreme change of behavior be explained?

She nervously chewed on the bottom of her lip as she tried to figure out how she could get through the rest of the convention and the flight home without having to see Edward again. She knew she was giving into the "flight" side of her fight or flight instinct but she couldn't help it. She was confused and scared and about a million other things she didn't even want to try to identify at the moment. She didn't know how she was going to face him again or what she would say. Worse still, she honestly didn't know if she would be able to keep her hands to herself if she was ever alone with him again.

Her phone beeped at that moment, letting her know she had a text message, and she cautiously took it out of her bag, her mind torn somewhere between hope and fear that it was Edward.

But it was only Angela, asking her to meet her for lunch, and Bella sighed in relief. She still didn't know how she was going to face Edward right now. Besides, over the past few days, Angela had proven herself to be a good friend and a good listener. And Bella needed both of those right now.

* * *

While Angela was counseling Bella on the situation at hand, Edward was scouring the hotel and its immediately surrounding areas searching frantically for his brunette co-worker. Unlike Bella, he had freely allowed his memories from the previous night to run wild in his brain as he searched for her. Every brush of her lips against his skin, every caress of her fingers, every moan that had left her perfect lips filled his thoughts completely. The image of Bella beneath him, her skin flushed, pupils dilated as she trembled beneath him as he had brought her to her second orgasm of the evening was seared in his brain.

The night before had been perfect; being with Bella had been incredible, even more amazing than he ever could have imagined. In his mind, he could see the expression in her eyes when their gazes had locked after their bodies had joined together so clearly. Edward didn't believe for a moment that it had been an inconsequential one night stand for Bella, either. How, then, had everything gone so wrong so quickly?

He had debated telling her the truth that morning, telling her why he had treated her so poorly in the past, how sorry he was and how he really felt about her, but he had foolishly put it off, thinking he would have all the time in the world to tell her. In the end, he hadn't gotten the chance to tell her any of it and he was determined to find her now and finally do so.

Unfortunately, every place he looked for Bella, he came up empty. He checked the ballroom, the hotel's restaurant, even the pool and gym in case she had decided she needed to let off some steam. But she wasn't in any of these locations and he grew more and more anxious as the day wore on.

Finally, he spotted a familiar figure across the hotel lobby. Angela was alone, he noted as he hurried to her, but maybe she knew where he could find Bella.

"Angela, have you seen Bella?" Edward asked desperately the moment he reached her side, not even bothering with the usual pleasantries. "I can't find her anywhere. Please. I really need to speak to her."

Angela studied his face a moment before seeming to come to a decision. "She went up to her room about 10 minutes ago," she told him, her expression almost pitying. "If you hurry, you should be able to catch her."

Edward didn't even think to ask Angela what she meant by that. All that mattered to him at that moment was getting to Bella and explaining things, making her understand what had really happened the night before. With a quick thank you to the dark haired woman, he hurried to the elevators.

When he reached the fourth floor, he practically ran to the room, impatiently swiping his electronic card and shoving the door open. Bella had her back to him as she zipped up her suitcase and Edward stopped short, apprehension flooding him at the scene before him.

"Bella, what's going on?"

Bella froze a moment at the sound of Edward's voice before she swung the strap of her carry on over her shoulder and straightened. "I'm leaving," she informed him. "The conference is over, I see no reason to stay any longer. You'll have the room all to yourself tonight." She paused a moment, taking a deep breath before she continued. "And you might as well know, I'm requesting a transfer to the LA office when I get back."

Edward's heart plummeted. "What? Why?"

"I need a change of scenery," she said, not meeting Edward's eyes.

"Bella, please don't go," he said softly. "Not back to Seattle and not to LA. Please, talk to me."

"We have nothing to talk about," Bella said.

"What about last night?"

"I already told you, last night was a mistake. It would be best for both of us to just forget it ever happened. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a flight to catch."

"But I don't want to forget it happened," Edward said quietly. "Bella, please."

Bella finally forced herself to look at Edward. "What do you want from me, Edward?" she asked. She was trying to sound strong, like she didn't give a damn what he did, but even to her own ears she just sounded tired. "Do you want me to beg you not to tell Esme and Carlisle? Or do you just want to laugh at me for being so stupid last night?"

Edward looked shocked for a moment before he frowned. "God, I really have been a terrible excuse for a human being, haven't I?" he mumbled half to himself. Raising his eyes to hers, he met Bella's gaze head on. "Bella, I can't even imagine what you must be thinking right now. My behavior has been nothing short of reprehensible and I just, God, I'm so sorry." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "You may not believe this, but I have been attracted to you from the moment we first met. You're an amazing woman – you're smart and sweet and beautiful and you do amazing work for the foundation."

Bella was too stunned by Edward's words to even blush. "Then why…?"

"Have I been such an asshole?" Edward bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Bella. And I certainly can't excuse my behavior toward you, but I would like to try to explain it if you'll let me. Please."

Struck by the raw vulnerability in his eyes and voice, Bella nodded her head slowly before she put her bags on the floor and took a seat on the edge of her bed, eyeing Edward warily. She looked at him without speaking and Edward took that as his cue to begin.

"When I first started working at Layla's Fund, I was dating a woman named Katie. We met during our last year of school here and she moved out to Seattle with me when I got this job. We were together for about a year and a half and as far as I knew, we were happily in love.

"Things went incredibly well for the first few months, both with Katie and with the Fund. Esme and Carlisle seemed to really like the work I was doing and I felt like I was actually making a difference there. And even when I had to work late, Katie was so supportive – she always wanted to hear about what had happened at work that day and what my upcoming projects were about." He paused a moment before continuing. "I couldn't believe how amazing she was or how lucky I was to have her. I even started looking at rings," he added quietly.

"But then things started to slip a little at work and right about the same time, Kids First started gaining serious momentum in our field. It was just little things at first, like getting beaten to the punch on action alerts and emails, but over the course of a month, it became a lot more than that. Suddenly, Kids was at the top of their game and we were struggling to keep up. I couldn't understand how they always seemed to be one step ahead of us. If we had a new campaign we were planning on launching, they launched it a few days earlier. If there was a big donor we were planning on meeting with, they met with him or her first and got the funding."

Edward paused again, swallowing convulsively before drawing in a deep breath to continue. "Looking back on it, it seems so obvious, but I just didn't see it. It was Katie, feeding Jacob all of the ideas we were working on. They'd met at an organizational dinner I'd brought her to several months earlier and apparently they'd really hit it off. Katie would get information about the Fund from conversations with me or she'd get it off my laptop. This went on for almost six months before I finally discovered what she was doing.

"She didn't even try to make any excuses, just packed up her stuff and went to Jacob's. It turned out that information wasn't the only thing she'd been sharing with him."

Bella's stomach turned as the reason behind Edward's haste in getting her away from Jacob on Monday night became all too clear.

"I went to Esme and Carlisle right away," Edward continued. "I told them what had happened and that of course I would resign immediately." A faint smile quickly crossed his face. "Naturally, they wouldn't hear of it. In fact, they were incredibly supportive and wonderful about the whole thing. They were always inviting me over for dinners and holidays and just generally treating me like family. I became very close to them and to Alice and Jasper as well."

He roughly dragged his hand through his hair and sighed. "It's been nearly two years since it all happened but…" He trailed off, shrugging helplessly before he continued. "I haven't been with anyone since she left and I told myself I liked it that way, that it was much better to be alone than to risk going through all of that again."

He smiled ruefully. "Then Esme called me into her office last September and there you were. It was all I could do to act human around you and then I couldn't even do that anymore. It was completely unfair of me and the way I treated you was inexcusable. I was awful to you, Bella, and I can never apologize enough for that."

"I kept trying to figure out just what I could have done to make you hate me so much," Bella admitted quietly.

Edward shook his head. "It wasn't you or anything you had done, Bella," he told her. "It was just a matter of you being _you_. There was so much about you that drew me in right from the beginning – your smile, your intelligence, your sense of humor, your kindness – and I just, I didn't want to feel that way about someone again, not after Katie.

"First I thought if I could just keep our relationship strictly professional, if I could just keep you at arm's length, then it'd be okay." He winced. "Unfortunately, it became obvious to me very early on that that was not going to be possible.

"I don't know if you remember, but that Thursday night we stayed late to work on the funding proposal for Layla's Pals was when I knew I was in trouble. I came so close to asking you out to dinner that night."

Bella's eyes widened in surprise as she recalled the evening in question as well and Edward grimaced. "If you also recall, I didn't show up to work the next day. I didn't know what to do. I was scared to death. It was cowardly and immature, I know, but I panicked and I decided that if I could make you hate me, then it would be so much easier for me to stay away from you. But after last night." He blushed. "Well, I don't think I _can_ stay away from you anymore."

He paused again, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes briefly as he sent up a quick prayer to whoever might be listening. "I know I've been horrible and I have no right to ask this of you, but I'm asking anyway. Please stay, Bella. Please stay here tonight and give us a chance to get to know each other without my idiocy getting in the way for once."

Bella was silent a moment, her wind going a million miles an hour as she tried to absorb and process all that Edward had just told her. During their combination lunch and counseling session, Angela had strongly urged her to speak with Edward and at least hear what he had to say for himself but at the time Bella had been adamantly opposed to any kind of confrontation with her co-worker, certain it could only make a bad situation worse.

Never in a million years had she expected Edward to say anything like this.

She thought about all of the times his mask had slipped in the past few days, how he had praised her, smiled at her, taken care of her when she had been irresponsible and unknowingly put herself in a bad situation and the ensuing hangover that followed.

Everything Alice and Esme had said or alluded to when speaking about Edward. The tender look in his eyes, the way he had been passionate yet gentle with her the previous night, the uncharacteristic warmth he had shown her over the past few days.

And there were so many things that made sense to Bella now. The way Edward had always seemed to avoid her. How he had been so angry to find her attempting to use his laptop, the way he had removed her from Jacob Black's company and warned her about his true nature.

He'd been on top of the world both personally and professionally and the woman he had loved, the woman he had been planning on _proposing_ to, had brought it all crashing down around him. It was only natural for him to have tried to protect himself from getting involved with anyone after that.

He had opened himself up to her, allowed him to see her completely vulnerable, without his usual walls and distance. Maybe it was her turn to do the same, let down her defenses and get to know a man she had known without knowing for the last eight months. Maybe it was finally her turn to be brave.

Gathering up her courage, Bella took a deep breath. "Okay." The look of relief and happiness on Edward's face only further assured her she was doing the right thing.

It was a very educational night. Bella learned that not only did Edward like a lot of the same bands she did, but a lot of the books and authors that she did as well. She also learned that Edward had very talented hands. And that nibbling on his ear was a sure way to drive him crazy.

She learned that Edward also had a dog, a five year old Rhodesian Ridgeback/Black and Tan Coonhound mix named Jackson that he had adopted from a local shelter shortly after Katie had moved out. Bella in turn told him all about Pearl and Emmett and Rose and how her job at Layla's Fund was everything she had ever dreamed about in a career.

They talked about their college years and their families. Bella told Edward about her parents, Renee and Charlie, who lived in a small town in Washington about two hours south of Seattle. In return, she learned that Edward had grown up the only child of wealthy, distant parents in Connecticut.

Most importantly, they discovered how easy it was to be with each other, to just be themselves and enjoy the other's company. Now that they had both finally stopped fighting it, the pull between the two of them was undeniable and their bond only solidified as the night wore on.

They ended up staying up most of the night. There were kisses and gentle touches between them but for the most part they talked, sharing stories and facts about themselves just as they had shared their bodies the night before and learning as much as they could about each other. They even decided to change their flight back to Seattle to later in the evening so they could have the day to spend together with Edward showing Bella around the city of his college years. Around 4am, as she finally drifted off to sleep in Edward's arms, a contented smile on her face, Bella couldn't help but think how right Esme, Alice, and even Rose had been after all.

* * *

The next morning, Edward managed to get them on a different flight back to Seattle for later that evening as opposed to their original 10:00am flight out. Their new flight was now supposed to leave at 7:15 that evening, putting them back in Seattle at around 11:00 that night, which gave them almost a whole day to wander around Chicago.

Edward had taken her to some of his favorite sights in the city and they'd had a late lunch and then wandered around Navy Pier for a little while before finally taking the half an hour cab ride to O'Hare. Now they sat next to each other at their gate, tired but happy as they awaited their boarding call.

The sudden sound of her cell phone ringing startled Bella from her drowsy state and she dug the phone out of her bag and flipped it open without bothering to check the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Bella?"

"Alice?"

"Wow, I figured you'd be passed out by now and I'd just be leaving a voicemail," Alice said cheerfully. "Oh crap, I didn't wake you up, did I? You sound exhausted."

"Oh no, you didn't wake me," Bella assured her. "Edward and I kind of missed our flight so we had to take a later one. We're still at O'Hare, actually."

"You both missed your flight, did you? Must have been a fascinating conference," Alice said innocently.

"Um, yeah, I guess…" Bella trailed off lamely.

"Well, anyway, you'd better make sure you get your sleep when you finally get home," Alice said. "I know Emmett told you we're all going out tomorrow night."

"Um, about that," Bella began.

"Oh no, missy, you are not backing out on me," Alice said. "You've worked hard all week, we're going to have fun tomorrow night."

"Um, no, nothing like that," Bella said nervously. "I, um, I was just wondering how you would feel about me bringing someone along." She shot Edward a shy smile and he smiled back encouragingly, taking her free hand in his own.

Bella took a deep breath before continuing. "Um, yeah, so Edward's going to come with me if that's all right," she said in a rush.

Alice shrieked something that sounded a lot like "Finally!" but Bella had a difficult time hearing her over the sudden ringing in her ears.

Moments later, she heard the familiar voice of her boss coming through the phone. "Bella?"

"Hi, Esme," Bella said

"So judging by the little happy dance Alice is doing right now, I take it something good has happened between my two favorite employees."

Sudden nerves gripped Bella and her palms began to sweat. What if her boss was mad at her? She didn't _sound_ angry but still. Bella had gone away to a conference with a co-worker and now the two were suddenly involved; what if there was a rule against that in the organization? "Esme, I'm sorry," Bella began. "Is it, I mean, well, I don't even know if it's against the rules to date a co-worker. I should have checked with you first, I-"

Esme laughed gently, cutting off Bella's nervous rambling. "Bella, in case you've forgotten, I'm _married _to one of my co-workers. It might be a little hypocritical of me to impose a no office dating policy on everyone else," she teased. "I'm very happy for both of you," she added, her tone slightly more serious.

Before Bella could even think of a reply, Esme quickly jumped to another topic. "Now, it seems my daughter is a little too excited to talk right now, but I wanted to invite the two of you to come to dinner on Sunday if you don't have other plans."

Bella shot a look at Edward. "Dinner on Sunday? Um, no, Esme, I don't have any other plans." Edward smiled and nodded his agreement. "Neither does Edward. I, uh, I guess we'll be there."

"Good." Bella could almost hear the smile in the older woman's voice. "I'm going to let you go now but I will see the two of you on Sunday at 6:00, and you don't need to bring anything but yourselves."

Bella bid Esme goodbye and closed her cell phone. "I think we've been set up," she said, blushing as she tucked her phone back into her bag.

Edward smiled. "I wouldn't put it past them. Somehow, though, I find it really doesn't bother me."

Bella smiled back. "Me, neither," she admitted.

A voice came over the intercom then announcing the start of boarding for flight 81 to Seattle-Tacoma Airport. "That's us." Edward stood, holding his hand out to Bella. She took his hand and rose to her feet. When she was steady, Edward pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. Unable to control her blush, Bella smiled as she gave Edward's hand a gentle squeeze.

As they walked toward the line at the gate hand in hand, Bella found herself thinking that she didn't care if it was in some little remote backwoods or at the North Pole; suddenly, she couldn't **wait** for the next conference.

"_You and your ways  
__Capture what I've misplaced  
__In the perfect fashion  
Just watch my heart's reaction  
This point of view is nothing that I'm used to  
But I won't close my eyes 'cause they're on to you"_

- MuteMath, "Noticed"


End file.
